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I’m on a mission to find out what the Yanks think of our VF SS Commodore – but not the American public, who don’t care much for cars weighing under two tonnes (that’s excluding any typical American-sized passengers, of course) but the kind of people Chevy must impress if it wants to sell a few SSs: NASCAR fans.
If the first five minutes of my trip are any indication, having landed in LA and freshly collected ‘my’ Chevy SS, I may as well get back on the plane and head home with my tail between my legs.
A man on the Sunset Boulevard sidewalk, dressed like an extra from a Snoop Dogg music video (and, judging by the bagginess of his trousers, having recently lost a lot of weight) shouts to me as I drive past. I can’t repeat his heckle given MOTOR is a family magazine. Maybe he doesn’t like red cars, maybe it’s the badge – I’m not sure but with 300 million guns in the US, I’m not about to stop and ask him.
Some more background on this mission of mine. So the Chevy SS is well-known to NASCAR fans, but the sales figures suggest it’s not exactly a smash hit. My task is to introduce them to the real thing and see if a little Aussie culture can win them over. If it’s to sell in numbers, these are the folks the SS must impress.
From my perspective, the Yanks are already onto a winner – the Chev is a bargain at US$43K and is way louder than our VF SS. It also scores HSV’s 6.2-litre LS3 in 310kW/562Nm tune. Lucky bastards! I wondered why it felt so healthy.
Freeway cruising doesn’t tell you a lot about a car but I learn more when I give full Blundstone to all 310 kilowatts in an attempt to shake off a miscreant tailgating me like I’m leading the Daytona 500. I summon some Aussie muscle and row through the gears until I’m doing a speed that would land me in Alcatraz, but the tailgater is sorted.
Built in 1964, it’s a 1.51-mile (2.43km) low-banked tri-oval that can seat around 67,000 gurgling hillbillies. It looks more like a footy stadium than a racetrack. The main grandstand looks like it’s 10 storeys high and there are folks and motorhomes everywhere.
Seeing the two cars side by side is revealing.
I ask a family what they think of the SS. From Iowa, Dad Derrick – dressed in full cammo and looking like he hunted his own breakfast that morning – says he likes that it’s a family car with a sporty, aggressive look. We talk some more but with the race start not far off, I head for the infield to check out the action. Motorhomes circle the whole track and most of them have a viewing deck on the roof and a US flag as standard.
Another man wanders over. He’s got a beer in one hand and a bottle of whiskey in the other. “Fireball!” he shouts and hands me a brimmed shotglass. Suddenly I’m doing shots while Todd, as he introduces himself, tells me how he’s the biggest Chevy fan around.
Not keen on throat cancer, I move on before the next Fireball shot and bump into 10-year-old Dakota. He’s on his BMX and reckons the 19-inch rims are cool. But fundamentally he doesn’t like it. “It’s a Chevy!” With a Ford tattoo probably hidden somewhere, Dakota’s choice of ride when he’s ready to give up the BMX lifestyle is an F350. Bless him.
Suddenly, the commotion stops and everyone stands up. It’s the national anthem. Just as I’m thinking I’m in Days of Thunder, there’s a 50-plane flyover, then fireworks. ’Merica!
They make V8 Supercars sound like road cars, they’re that loud. You have to hear it for yourself. With earplugs, of course, particularly given that over a brief 26-second lap, the decibel deluge never relents.
Having located earplugs, I head to turn one. Being America, I drive there. I park the Chevy SS next to a monster motorhome where Robert is busy cooking up lunch on the barbecue. He spots the car.
With the race in full swing, it’s hard to ask folks what they think of our beloved SS Commodore as the noise is ceaseless. I’ve no idea who is leading but as a car goes past every half second it doesn’t matter much.
I ask some of the punters where they think the SS is built. Craig, from Burbank, says: “Not in the US; it’s made in Europe for sure.” (We can only take that as a compliment.) Kim, from Tempe, thought it was some kind of BMW until she saw the bowtie. Few realise Australia makes cars.
And, day over, I’ve enjoyed my NASCAR experience. The fans are great, passionate about the sport and know their cars. I feel proud to be driving an Aussie car to meet them.
Most people I speak to love the SS. They dig the look, the power and that it’s a proper, rear-drive driver’s car. Now, if only they’d all buy one.
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Chevrolet SSSpecs
Body: 4-door, 5-seat sedan Drive: rear-wheel Engine: 6162cc V8, OHV, 16v Bore/stroke: 103.25 x 92.0mm Compression: 10.7:1 Power: 310kW @ 5900rpm Torque: 563Nm @ 4600rpm Power/weight: 173kW/tonne Consumption: 13.8L/100km (claimed) CO2 Emissions: 333g/km (claimed) 0-100km/h: 5.0sec (claimed) Top speed: 250km/h (limited) Transmission: 6-speed automatic Weight: 1793kg Suspension: struts, A-arms, adaptive dampers, anti-roll bar (f); multi-links, coil springs, adaptive dampers, anti-roll bar (r) L/W/H: 4966/1897/1470mm Wheelbase: 2916mm Tracks: 1590/1585mm (f/r) Steering: electrically-assisted rack-and-pinion Brakes: 355mm ventilated discs, 4-piston calipers (f); 360mm solid discs, single-piston calipers (r) Wheels: 19 x 8.5-inch (f); 19 x 9.5-inch (r) Tyres: 245/40 ZR19 (f); 275/35 ZR19 (r) Bridgestone RE050A Price: US$43,475 Positives: More power and equipment than Aussie cars at a cheaper price Negatives: Not very popular Stateside; it’s cheaper than at home!
